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April 15, 2009

Survey: Generational gaps in technology

by Sam Savage

Although technology is widely embraced among U.S. professionals, there are differences in the ways different generations use it, a survey indicates.

The Technology Gap Survey, released Wednesday, shows there are generational differences in how technology affects workplace etiquette and how boundaries between personal and professional tasks are drawn.

The survey found, for instance, that while more than two-thirds of all baby boomers said personal digital devices, such as BlackBerries and Palm Treos and mobile phones contribute to a decline in workplace etiquette, they believe the use of a laptop during in-person meetings is distracting.

But fewer than half of workers 28 and younger agree.

The survey also found younger workers spend an average of 10.6 hours a day accessing social networking sites, news Web sites, blogs, Internet forums and multimedia sharing Web sites. However, workers 44 to 60 average about 5.6 hours on Internet sites.

The survey of 450 professionals was commissioned by LexisNexis. The survey's margin of error was not reported.